“Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where w...
Greenland is an island mired in inconsistencies and ironies. It is named after a color, yet its tundra is a bleak white. It is the largest island in the world, a landmass three times the size of Texas, yet only 60,000 people call it home. While gigan...
When Americans are presented with the word “coca,” their mind likely jumps to cocaine. In fact, the two are often conflated as one and the same: a dangerous drug banned by law and whose production and sale are subject to intense criminal regulati...
Several weeks ago, I wrote of the resurgence of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. I focused on the process by which he plans and hopes to reinvigorate a flagging Japanese economy, and only hinted at the role his nationalist ambitions might play in ...
Several weeks ago, I wrote of the resurgence of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. I focused on the process by which he plans and hopes to reinvigorate a flagging Japanese economy, and only hinted at the role his nationalist ambitions might play in ...
It seems absurd to claim that any country in a region as unstable as the Middle East/North Africa could be stagnant – but if any of them fit the bill, it would be Lebanon. Despite its seemingly volatile political situation (exemplified by const...
It seems absurd to claim that any country in a region as unstable as the Middle East/North Africa could be stagnant – but if any of them fit the bill, it would be Lebanon. Despite its seemingly volatile political situation (exemplified by const...
In Myanmar, change seems to be the new norm. Now officially known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation with a population of 60 million is shaking off the dust from a protracted period of isolation and opening up to the ...
In Myanmar, change seems to be the new norm. Now officially known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation with a population of 60 million is shaking off the dust from a protracted period of isolation and opening up to the ...
Last week I missed an important reason why Spain is in a state of absolute disarray. This of course is the growing strength of independence movements, both in the Basque Country (Euskadi) and Catalonia –which may have crossed the Rubicon in its dec...
Last week I missed an important reason why Spain is in a state of absolute disarray. This of course is the growing strength of independence movements, both in the Basque Country (Euskadi) and Catalonia –which may have crossed the Rubicon in its dec...
It was a little over five years ago that Shinzo Abe, Japan’s 90th Prime Minister, unceremoniously resigned his post amidst government scandal. He had been at the helm of Japan’s government only a year, and, at the time of his resignation, enjoyed...
It was a little over five years ago that Shinzo Abe, Japan’s 90th Prime Minister, unceremoniously resigned his post amidst government scandal. He had been at the helm of Japan’s government only a year, and, at the time of his resignation, enjoyed...
There are cultural moments when I switch into impartial observer, not the usual crazy-eyed denizen, of the blogosphere left. Say, perhaps, when the Commentariat explodes with excitement curiosity regarding whether a Pope might imminently be thrown ...
There are cultural moments when I switch into impartial observer, not the usual crazy-eyed denizen, of the blogosphere left. Say, perhaps, when the Commentariat explodes with excitement curiosity regarding whether a Pope might imminently be thrown ...
In reading the New York Times yesterday, it struck me that following the news about Syria is becoming almost unbearably frustrating. More and more are dying, and there still doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Instead, we are treated to an endl...
In reading the New York Times yesterday, it struck me that following the news about Syria is becoming almost unbearably frustrating. More and more are dying, and there still doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Instead, we are treated to an endl...
There is a famous Spanish saying, éramos muchos y parió la abuela –we were too many, and then grandma had a baby. In military jargon this is summarized as a clusterfuck: a situation in which everything, everywhere, falls apart at the same time. A...
There is a famous Spanish saying, éramos muchos y parió la abuela –we were too many, and then grandma had a baby. In military jargon this is summarized as a clusterfuck: a situation in which everything, everywhere, falls apart at the same time. A...
As a columnist who writes exclusively on MENA (Middle East/North Africa), I’m just going to state the obvious: I don’t usually end up analyzing sunshine and rainbows. At the end of the day, much of what desperately deserves the attention ...
As a columnist who writes exclusively on MENA (Middle East/North Africa), I’m just going to state the obvious: I don’t usually end up analyzing sunshine and rainbows. At the end of the day, much of what desperately deserves the attention ...
Earlier this week, President Obama officially recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the mishmash of rebel groups that have come together to unite against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. After months of no...
Earlier this week, President Obama officially recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the mishmash of rebel groups that have come together to unite against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. After months of no...
Fears of ‘Grexit’ has yet to wane, but the press is talking about another country’s possible retreat from the EU—Britain. The Economist claims that ‘Brexit’ has become “increasingly possible;” a columnist at Reuters even warns, “Bre...
Fears of ‘Grexit’ has yet to wane, but the press is talking about another country’s possible retreat from the EU—Britain. The Economist claims that ‘Brexit’ has become “increasingly possible;” a columnist at Reuters even warns, “Bre...
New euro Bills are set to enter circulation in May 2013. Instead of the now familiar imaginary architecture, these bills will feature “a hologram and watermark of Europa, the Phoenician noblewoman who gave the continent its name. In Greek myth, she...
New euro Bills are set to enter circulation in May 2013. Instead of the now familiar imaginary architecture, these bills will feature “a hologram and watermark of Europa, the Phoenician noblewoman who gave the continent its name. In Greek myth, she...